Six

The court slowly began to empty. Students gathered their bags while the players celebrated their victory. The noise gradually faded as people started heading back toward the school buildings.

I remained seated for a while. Sophia was somewhere around the court, probably talking to Nia, while Daniel had gone to greet some of the players he knew.

I sat quietly, watching everything around me then I heard a familiar voice. “Mateo.”

I looked up. Niko was standing in front of me, I quickly adjusted myself and gave him a small smile. “Hey.”

He grinned. “So... did I do well?”

I nodded. “Yeah. You did.”

“Just yeah?”

I shrugged. “You scored two goals.”

“Exactly,” he said proudly. “So I did well.”

I couldn't help smiling. “Yeah, you did.”

He laughed then, without warning, his hand reached toward my hair. He gently ran his fingers through it. “Your hair feels tough,” he said, looking amused.

I froze. My face immediately felt warm and before I could respond, he pulled his hand away and stood up.

“I've got to find Alex.”

“Oh.”

He took a few steps before turning back. “Wait for me, okay?”

I looked at him. “Why?”

“I'll be right back.” He smiled before walking away and I sat there completely still, my face felt flushed.

I reached up and touched my hair where his hand had been. Why did that make me nervous?

I quickly dropped my hand. It's just hair, I looked toward where Niko had disappeared for some reason, I found myself waiting for him to come back.

I waited. I wasn't even sure why, I could have gone home earlier. It was already past my usual time, and I knew Mum would probably ask questions but somehow, I didn't want to leave.

For once, I had actually had fun, I wasn't thinking about church or thinking about being the priest's son. I was just... Mateo.

Eventually, Niko returned. He wasn't alone. Alex, Nia, and Sophia were with him, I looked at them as they approached. Niko smiled.

“Mateo, meet my guys.”

Before I could respond, they all held out their hands.

“Hey.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“What's up?”

I shook their hands one after another, feeling a little awkward. Sophia stood nearby, grinning like she already knew how uncomfortable I was.

Niko looked around at everyone. “Alright. Let's go.”

I blinked. “Where?”

“First, we're going somewhere to have fun and get some snacks.”

I hesitated, my instincts told me I probably shouldn't go. I could already imagine Mum asking where I'd been but then I looked at everyone. They were laughing and already heading off.

For once, I wanted to do something without worrying about what everyone expected from me so I followed.

The evening turned out to be one of the most fun nights I'd had in a long time. The five of us played internet games, joked around, and tried different snacks.

Some of them I'd never even tasted before. Niko laughed when he saw my reaction to one of them. “You've never had that?”

I shook my head. “Never.”

“You've been missing out.”

Everyone laughed. I laughed too and for a few hours, I forgot about everything else.

Eventually, it was time to leave. We said our goodbyes, and Niko and I got on the same bus, he sat beside me. “You sleepy?”

“No.”

“You can rest on my shoulder if you want.”

I glanced at him. “I'm fine.”

He shrugged. “Your choice.”

I looked out the window, trying to hide my smile.

Eventually, we reached our stop and got off, we walked beneath the streetlights together. As we walked, I caught myself looking down at the ground.

Niko's shadow stretched beside mine, I stared at it for a moment. He noticed.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing.”

“You keep looking down.”

I smiled and ignored the question. Soon, we reached my house. I stopped at the doorstep.

“Goodnight, Niko.”

“Goodnight, Mateo.”

I waved before opening the door. For the first time in a long while, I felt genuinely happy. I had stepped outside my little world, laughed, made new friends and for a few hours, I hadn't felt like the priest's son.

I had simply been Mateo but deep down, I knew that happiness wouldn't last forever, I stepped inside. Mum was sitting in the living room, she looked at the clock.

“You're late.”

I swallowed. “Yeah. I had to stay for some extra lessons.”

She stared at me for a moment then she looked away. “Go upstairs.”

I nodded. “Okay.” I hurried upstairs before she could ask anything else. Once inside my room, I closed the door then I walked toward the window.

I opened it slightly. Across the street, Niko's window was still lit. I stared at it and despite everything, I smiled.

I was still standing by the window when, completely out of nowhere, Niko opened his.

I froze. I wasn't sure what to do so I simply stood there, staring. Niko noticed me almost immediately.

“Hey.”

I nodded and smiled. “Hey.”

He leaned against the window frame. “Did you enjoy today?”

I nodded again, this time grinning. “Yeah.”

“Good.”

He smiled then he pointed toward my bed and made a small gesture with his hand. “You should go to sleep. You're probably tired.”

I stared at him. For some reason, that small gesture caught me off guard. He's worried about me.

I nodded. “Okay.”

Niko smiled one last time. "Goodnight, Mateo.”

“Goodnight.”

He disappeared from the window. I remained there for a few seconds, staring at the empty space where he'd been then I quietly closed my window.

I sat on my bed, still thinking about everything that had happened. It was strange.

Just a few days ago, my life had felt like the same routine every day school, church, home, prayer, repeat. Now there was Niko, a new neighbor and classmate.

Someone who somehow managed to pull me out of my quiet little world without even trying. I picked up my phone and stared at the screen for a moment before putting it back down.

I wondered if tomorrow would be different. Would Niko talk to me again? Would we all hang out after school? Or would everything return to normal?

I looked toward the window again, his room was still lit. I smiled faintly maybe I was overthinking everything. I pulled the blanket over myself and closed my eyes.

For the first time in a long while, I wasn't thinking about what everyone expected me to become. I was simply thinking about tomorrow and strangely, I couldn't wait for it to arrive.